Rail-car set-off apparatus



May 16, 1939. H. s BRQWN 2,158,352

RAIL-CAR SET-OFF APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 16,1939. H. s. BROWN l RAIL-GAR SET-OFF APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1956 3Sheets-Sheet 2 l [27@/7/5 rOw/Z,

May 16, 1939,. H. s. BROWN RAIL-CAR SET-OFF APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6,1936- s sheetssheet 5 v I ,V- gh Brow/W,

Patented May 16, 193g UNTED STTES RAIL-CAR SET-OFF APPARATUS Hugh S.Brown, Harvey, Ill., assigner to The Hubron Company, Inc., Somerville,N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 6, 1936, SerialNo. 62,627

29 Claims.

This invention relates to rail cars and, more particularly, to a set-offdevice for facilitating the removal of motor driven section cars orother small but heavy rail equipment. In its illustrated form, theinvention comprises a pair of extendable lattice-works normally forming`guard rails on the car (see Fig. l), but which, when extended, raisethe car (see Fig. 3) and at the same time form a bridge or conveyor forthe car eX- tending away from the rails, so that one man can push thecar along the extended lattice-work ridge to a position clear of thetracks.

In recent years the hand cars of former days have become motorized.Although this has many l5 obvious advantages, it has resulted in a vastincrease of weight, with the result that many of the small work cars nowweigh a thousand pounds even considerably more. Obviously, this weightrequires the strength of several men to lift and remove it, and eventhen the labor of removing it and returning it to the tracks is so greatthat it has been the practice to run it from the site of the work to thenearest highway crossing and then lift it 01T onto the level road wherethe car could be rolled instead of having to be dragged and lifted overthe rails. This obviously involved a great loss of time, since it wouldbe neccssary for several members of the crew to go from the site of thework to the nearest crossing with back, assuming the car is not to beused in the work. Later the crew must walk back to the crossing toreplace the car on the rails. Of

course if the car is going to be used, they can :5 wait for the train topass, but they should have the car oii the track long before the trainis due, so that even without walking back and forth there is costlydelay. Furthermore, when there is snow on the ground, removal is verydiicult even at the highways. Furthermore, it has often been impracticalfor two or three men alone to use such a section car, since its weightwas so great that they could not remove it; or, if they could, theycould not do so without great labor 45 and danger of injury tothemselves and to the car.

Another important consideration from the safety standpoint is that evenif there is not much time before a train is due, the crew will often tryto get to a crossing to take the car off. If they dont quite get there,a dangerous accident is very likely to occur. Often a work car has hadto be tipped off in an effort to get it off the tracks in. a hurry.

According to the present invention, one man the section car to get itoff the tracks, and walk can remove the work car from the tracks in anamazingly short time, such as two minutes or less, and he can do so eventhough the ground may slope away from the tracks rather steeply; andwith equal ease he can replace it on the tracks. Of course two men canremove the section car even more quickly, say in thirty seconds.

Another feature of this invention is that the set-off mechanism does nottake up any extra space, since when not in use as a set-off it merelytakes the place or and serves as the xed guard railings formerly used,and yet it is always in place and ready for operation.

Other advantages and objects of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing description, taken with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a motor car embodying the form of myinvention chosen for illustration.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. l, showing theset-ofi apparatus drawn to one side as in the rst step of the set-offoperation.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view showing the apparatus after the next stepof they operation, in which the lattice-'Work is extended, thus raisingthe car enough for the flanges to clear the rails, and showing asubsequent position of the car in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a corresponding View showing the lattice-work again collapsedwhile the motor car is supported in a safe position partly by one end ofthe lattice-work structure and partly by special rear legs.

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views taken along the lines 5 inFig. 4.

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary detail views of the jack for the specialrear legs, after and before operation in raising the car.

Figs. 9 and l0 are fragmentary detail views of the locking mechanism forthe rear legs of the lattice-work. f

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary detail view of the locking mechanism for thefront legs of the lattice-work.

Although the set-off apparatus of this invention may take numerousforms, only one has been chosen for illustration. This form has beenillustrated on a motor section car which may be considered asconventional, since the set-off apparatus could be applied to any motorcar which is intended to be removed from the rails by the crew. Themotor car usually includes a frame structure indicated as a whole by thereference 5 and rl-5 respectively numeral H, a running board and wheelguard i3 on which the workmen may stand, and a seat deck l5 on which theworkmen may sit, and under which is located the motor and otherapparatus of the motor car. Such cars vary in weight, often weighing athousand pounds or more. This weight is, of course, much too heavy foreven two or three men to simply liit from the rails and carry off.

As previously stated, the practice of handling such cars by taking them,together with a crew of men, from the site of the work back to a highwaycrossing where it is practical for a small number of men to remove themsafely, has been very wasteful. It should also be noted that it has beenthe practice to provide guard rails at the two ends of the car, with acentral longitudinal hand rail connecting them. According to the presentinvention the set-off apparatus, which may be operated by one man, takesthe place of these guard rails and performs their function when thesection car is in use, thus requiring no extra space.

In most patents the structure is described rst and operation later. Thisis usually satisfactory because the reader already has a general idea ofthe operation because of knowledge of prior similar inventions. In thisinstance, however, the invention is so new that a reversal of the usualorder is believed best, since the operation can be understood withreference to the drawings, and the structure will be more clear afterthe operation is understood.

General operation To explain the operation, it may rst be assumed that amotor driven section car, weighing perhaps a thousand pounds, andequipped with the set-oi apparatus of this invention, is to be removedfrom the tracks, perhaps at an outlying spot where the ground slopesaway from the track bed. As previously stated, the removal may beaccomplished in a very short time by one man.

Very briefly, the operation comprises four general steps. 'Ihe rst is toshift the apparatus from its normal position shown in Fig. 1, to theposition of use shown in Fig. 2. The second step is to stretch thelattice-works (one at each end of the car) to the position shown in Fig.3, thus not only forming a structure which for convenience may be calleda bridge, but also raising the car from the rails to the height at whichit may pass along this bridge. The third step is to roll the car alongthis bridge formed by the apparatus, to the position shown in Fig. 4;and the nal step is to collapse the lattice-work to the position shownin Fig. 4, out 0I" the way of passing trains.

Details of operation In order to shift the apparatus from its normalposition shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 2, where its realoperation begins, it is merely necessary to unhook the hooks il and pullon the bar 5l. The rollers 23 roll easily in the channel members 2l onopposite ends of the car, until the movement is terminated by engagementof a back post il with stop 8i on the frame of the car. The latches S,one on each of the back posts di, are then flipped from the lowerposition shown in Fig. l to the upper position shown in Fig. 9. Thispermits the legs 4l to drop, as indicated by arrow l in Fig. 2, and reston the ties; and in this upper position the latch locks the legs. Theposition of the legs after being lowered is indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 2.

In the next step the lattice-works are released so that they may beexpanded. As indicated by the arrow 2, this release is accomplished byraising the pipes iii to release the hooks 63 from the pins E5. Theoperator now grasps the bar 5l and draws out the two posts 33 and hencesimultaneously expands both of the lattice-works. The result of thisstep is shown in Fig. 3. Inasmuch as the end pins 2l' are stationary byvirtue of being secured to the posts iii which are locked with respectto the legs il?, it is clear from a comparison of Figs. 2 and 3 that thewheels 23, and hence the section car also, are raised by expansion ofthe lattice-work. The section car is raised approximately to theposition shown in Fig. 3. It may be explained in this connection thatstop 8i is positioned to stop the post il at a position such that theweight of the lattice-work when expanded will bring the car suiicientlyinto balance about the legs (il acting as a fulcrum so as to raise therar side of the car as well as the near side, though the far side neednot be raised as much as the near side at this time.

As the lattice-work reaches the desired degree o expansion, the pipe t3passes under the latches Cf-l so that the vertical faces of theselatches bear on the pipe S, thus locking the lattice-work in itsexpanded position.

he next step of the operation, as indicated by the arrow il, is toprovide a support for the extended end of the lattice-work bridge bylowering the pipes 5l, having enlarged feet 58, to the position shown inFig. 3, and to lock these feet in this position with the pins 59, asshown in Fig. 11. It should be noted that the pipes 57, to which thefeet 58 are secured, are quite long so that these feet may be lowered tothe ground even though the ground slopes down from the track fairlysteeply. The legs 5l should oi course be adjusted to position thelattice-work substantially level.

Following this step the motor car is rolled along the wheels 23 asindicated by the arrow 5. At the end of this operation the motor car isin the position shown in Fig. 4. It should be explained that by virtueof the fact that the channel member 2i is provided for rolling on therollers 23, and since the rollers 23 roll freely within said channelmember, this step in the operation is quite easy.

The next step, indicated by arrow is to lower 88 passing through holesin the legs 36 below 'i.

collar 89 in its upper position. The car is then raised slightly byoperation of the jack lever 90 which, as seen best in Figs. 7 and 8, ispivoted to bracket 9i secured to the car and through which the leg islides, and to the link Q2. rIhis jack is self-locking when it passesdead center. The jack may be omitted, but its purpose is to take part orall of the weight or the car oiT the legs il so that they may be moreeasily released and raised.

This raising of legs il is the next step of the operation. The latch 58is rst shifted to its lower position and then the adjustable legs il maybe raised, as indicated by the arrow 7, so that they will clear therails of the tracks. The latch 56 automatically operates to hold thelegs rIhe latches 6@ are now released by raising the pipes 6l asindicated by the arrow 8 in Fig. 4; and the iinal step is that indicatedby arrow 9 in Fig. 4, in which the latticework is again collapsed byshifting the posts ll to the left, from the position shown in dottedlines to the position shown in full lines in this gure. The weight ofthe motor car is supported during this step and until after thelattice-work has again been expanded, by the feet 53 and 8l.

In replacing the motor car onto the track, the foregoing operations arereversed. ln other words the lattice-work is expanded by moving theposts il to the right, and is locked in expanded position by latchesiid. By shifting latches 5e, the legs :il are dropped to rest on theties and support the lattice-work bridge. The legs are drawn up, themotor car is rolled along the wheels to its position over the rails, thelegs El are drawn up, and the lattice-work is collapsed to lower themotor car onto the rails. Afterwards the legs il are drawn up, and thelattice-work is hooked with hooks l l in its normal position, thelattice-work and the pipes Si forming excellent end guards for the carto protect the workers thereon from falling oil, and the pipes 5Sforming a very convenient hand rail and back rest for the men ridingonthe car.

Description of structure The set-cfr apparatus includes two hangedchannel bars 2l, one secured at each end of the motor car and withsuiiicient strength to raise the car, preferably located atapproximately the height shown. They may be conveniently secured to theframe structure of the seat deck l as by brackets 22. The movable partoi the setoiT mechanism is normally supported by these channel members2l by means of rollers or 'wheels 23 extending within said channelmechanism as shown best in Fig. 5. When not in use as a setoiT devicethe equipment is held against movement by any suitable means such as thehooks il which may be of the type used on screen doors.

The movable part of the set-ofi mechanism includes the two lattice-workstructures, one at each end of the car. Each lattice-work is made up ofthe various steel diagonals 25 which are parallel with one another intwo groups, as shown. Except for the end bars which are shorter, asillustrated, all of these bars may be identical. One size found suitablefor these diagonals 25 is T5@ inch by 11/4 inches, with the hole centersnine inches apart. These diagonale are pivoted together with the upperrivets 25, the upper intermediate rivets El, the lower rivets 2B and thepins 29, in the lower intermediate positions on which are rotatablysecured the wheels 23 which operate in the channel members 2l aspreviously mentioned.

The shorter end diagonals 3l and 32 are pivotably secured by the pin 2lto a post 33 which is preferably C-shaped in cross section and may bemade up, for example, by spot welding two channel bars Se to a sideplate 35. The post 33 is maintained in a vertical position by a slidingconnection between the end diagonal 25 and the post 33. rIhis slidingconnection may conveniently be provided by means of rollers 3l (Fig. 1l)secured to the end diagonal 25 as by suitable shaft Se, the rollers Sirolling smoothly within the channel members Sil. Fig. 6 shows a detailof a similar arrangement which is found at the other end oi eachlattice-work where posts li are similarly secured. In this instance,however, the diagcnals extend beyond the post since the last one of thewheels 23 is located beyond the post, as seen best in Fig. 2. Thisroller, or its pin 29, is supported by diagonals 43 and 44, the latterof which extends downwardly to shaft 39, and the former of which ispivoted to post 4l by a pin 2l.

slidably secured to each of the posts lli, as by straps e6, is anadjustable post el. All of the posts il and il may be formed of channelmeinbers spaced apart by spacing pipes or wood llers 45 located inpositions which will not interfere with operations. Bolts or rivets maybe passed through the channel member and spacers to secure the poststogether. The ends of the twoposts l may be provided with large feet orpreferably are connected with a bar 49 extending between them, and whichmay be secured to the wood fillers by screws. As previously described,the adjustable legs il are lowered until the bar 'i9 rests on the tiesof the track. The spring-urged latch 5i) in the upper position (Fig. 9)locks leg lll down, and in the lower position locks the leg el up.

The two end posts 33 are connected together at the level of the runningboard i3 with a bar 5I and approximately at their bottoms with the bar52. It may be mentioned that by the simple expedient of making the bars49, 5l and 52 of wood, 0

the set-off equipment may be furnished without the manufacturer havingto t it to specic cars, since the wooden bars lli?, 5i and 52 may easilybe cut to the proper length at the time of installation, while all ofthe rest ofthe structure may be the same for all cars.

Secured to the posts 33 are brackets 56 through which slide the pipes 5lat the bottom of which are provided the enlarged feet 58. The pipes 57may be secured in any desiredv position by pins 59 passing through holesin the pipes 51, or in any other manner desired. The pins may be putabove the brackets to hold the pipes up, or below the brackets to holdthe pipes extended downwardly. Of course, any other means for securingany of the legs in the desired positions may be employed.

To secure the lattice-work in the collapsed position and later to secureit in the expanded position, pipes or rods 5I are provided. Each ofthese pipes ESI is pivoted to a back post H and is provided at its freeend with a hook 63, and near its free end it may also be provided with alatch 5i! beveled on its back side. The hook t3 normally engages pins @Ein the front posts 33. However, when the lattice-work has been expanded,latches ed slip over and lock against the pipe 63 which, as seen in Fig.1, is normally positioned to serve as a back rest and hand rail for theworkmen. The pipe 63 is preferably secured by brackets 'll which, asseen best in Figs. 2 and 3, are provided with slots 'l2 slidablyengaging an extension 'i3 on one of the upper rivets 2d. The lower endor" the bracket 'll is secured to one of the pins 2d. This manner ofmounting the bar 68 keeps it at the desired level with respect to themotor car in spite of the vertical contractions of the latticework.

One possible construction for the latch 5t has been shown in Figs. 9 and10. In this contruction the latch arms, to one of which the number el)is applied, are keyed on a common spindle journalled in the post 4|, andcarry a latch bar 'l5 which fits into grooves 'i6 cut in the adjustableleg 4l. A spring 'Il extending between the end of one of the latchlevers 50 and an extension on one of the strips lli urges the'latchtoward the post in either the upper or lower position, to whichever thelatch is shifted. From inspection of Fig. 9 it is apparent that when thelatch is in Cil the upper position the leg Il cannot move upwardlyrelatively to the leg 4|, the notches l5 being deep enough to preventforcing the latch out against the movement of the leg but the leg can bemoved downwardly, the latch automatically moving with the leg to permitthis. When the latch is in the lower position the leg can be movedupwardly but not downwardly.

In place of the latch shown, it will probably be preferred in practiceto use a latch having the same ultimate result as that shown, but whichis automatically operated when the leg 4l hits the stop 3l. A simpledevice for tripping the lever 50 from the lower to the upper positionwould accomplish this, perhaps an extension on the inner lever 5G,Although this improvement would make it unnecessary for the operator togo to the far side of the car to release the latch, the illustratedarrangement is quite easily operated, since it is not necessary tooperate both latches 5B or both legs lil at the same time.

The construction of the jacks for` legs B is clearly shown in Figs. 'land 8. The pipe bracket 9| is secured to the frame of the car Il in anysuitable manner, as by screws, the jack lever Sil is pivoted to thebracket 9i, or to a lug welded thereto, and the link Q2 is pivoted tothe jack lever 9B' and to the collar Si?. When the leg is to be lowered,the handle Sii is raised to raise the collar Si), the pin 88 is removedfrom the upper position shown in dotted lines, allowing the leg 86 todrop to the ground, and is inserted in a hole immediately below thecollar 89, which should be raised at the time by handle 9G. The handleSil is then pushed down, perhaps with the operators foot, to spread thebracket 9i and collar 89 apart. Since the collar 89 can no longer movedownwardly, being held up by the leg 85 and the pin 88, the bracket 9|,and with it the section car, are raised. When the jack lever 93 and thelink 92 pass the dead center or alined position, the extension 94 on thelink 92 prevents further movement of the lever 96 and link 92, and hencethey are self-locking in this position, as seen in Fig. 7.

The description of the operation of the apparatus as a whole havingpreceded the description of the structure appearing immediately above,it is believed that the entire invention will now be perfectly clear.Not only does the apparatus serve as a remarkably convenient means forremoving the heavy section car from the rails and replacing it, but italso serves as a guard rail for the ends of the section car withouttaking up any useful space other than was previously taken up by saidguard rails.

rlhe apparatus already disclosed is inherently capable oi another modeof operation. The lattice works may be shifted and extended prior todropping the inner or rear legs 4l. If this is done the rigid latticework is used as a lever to tilt the car up on its far wheels and hold itthere while one of the crew lowers legs 4l. This variation in theoperation would be difficult or impossible for one man but might beeasiest, or at least quickest, for several men.

0n those rare occasions when for some reason it may be necessary orpreferred to drag the car across the rails, as in the past, the bottombars 52 and 9 will serve as skid rails, thus making unnecessary theprovision of special skid rails as in the past. These bars will not beused as skid rails very often, since it will nearly always be possibleand much more convenient to operate the set-ofi mechanism. As broughtout by the previous description, this set-o mechanism operates so easilythat one man can move a car which weighs over a thousand pounds withoutdifficulty, and two men can remove the car from the rails almost asquickly as it could be removed from the rails by a large gang of men inan emergency. The result is much greater safety for the men and for thecar, and a great saving of time as compared to the old practice oftaking the car to a highway crossing for removal.

Although but one embodiment of my invention has been herein shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereby, but is to be limited only by the prior art. The followingclaims are intended to point out some of the features now recognized asnew, rather than to limit the invention to these features. Obviously theset-off device may be applied to any equipment for which it will beuseful.

I claim:

1. The combination of a rail car, means secured to said car and adaptedto rest on the ground, and including means extendable in a directionaway from the tracks and means cooperating with said extendable meansand said car when said extendable means rests on the ground to raise thecar when the extendable means is so extended, and forming a conveyor onwhich said car may be shifted away from the tracks.

2. Means for removing rail cars from the tracks, including a pair ofextendable latticeworks, means adapted to rest on the ground forsupporting said lattice-works from the ground, said lattice-works havingpoints thereon which are rased as said lattice-works are extended, andmeans for connecting a rail car to said latticeworks at said points forraising at least one part of the rail car from the tracks as suchlatticeworks are extended.

3. The combination of a rail car and means for removing rail cars fromthe tracks including a pair of extendable lattice-works, means adaptedto rest on the ground for supporting said lattice-works from the groundat a point near the side of the car facing in the direction saidlattice-works are extended, said lattice-works having points thereonwhich are raised as said lattice-works are extended, and means forconnecting a rail car to said lattice-works at said points for raisingat least one part of the rail car from the track as suclLlattice-worksare extended, said car being at least approximately balanced by theextended lattice-works so that it may be moved from the rails by oneman.

4i. Means for removing rail cars from the tracks, including a pair ofextendable lattice-works, means adapted to rest on the ground forsupporting said lattice-works from the ground, said lattice-works havingpoints thereon which are raised as said lattice-works are extended, and

means for connecting a rail car to said latticeworks at said points forraising at least one part of the rail car from the tracks as suchlatticeworks are extended, said means for supporting the car includingrollers supported at said various points whereby the car may be rolledalong said lattice-works and away from the track.

5. Means for removing rail cars from the tracks, including a pair ofextendable lattice-works, front and back adjustable legs adapted to reston the ground for supporting said lattice-works from the ground, saidlattice-works having points thereon which are raised as saidlattice-works are extended, and means for connecting a rail car to saidlattice-works at said points for raising at least one part of the railcar from the tracks as such lattice-works are extended, said means I'orsupporting the car including rollers supported at said Various pointswhereby the car may be rolled along said lattice-works and away from thetrack.

6. The combination of a rail car and means secured to said rail car forraising at least part of it from the tracks and forming a stationaryconveyor on which a force of only a small fraction of the weight of thecar can move said car away from the tracks, said means being collapsiblesubstantially to the lateral confines of the car during portage andcollapsibly removable trom the rails while supporting the rail carremoved from the rails.

'7. The combination of a rail car having a platform means forming asafety railing at the ends of said car above the platform thereof, saidmeans including parts which are shiftably secured to the car, and which,when so shifted, form extensions secured to the car and adapted tofacilitate the removal of the car from the tracks.

8. Means for moving rail cars from the tracks, including a pair ofextendable lattice-works, means adapted to engage the ground forsupporting said lattice-works from the ground, at which time saidlattice-works form a bridge, said car being movable along said bridge toa position away from the tracks, and means for supporting the rear sid-eof said car independently of said lattice-works to remove a part of theweight of said car from the track end of said lattice-works whereby thesame may be removed easily from said tracks.

9. Means for moving rail oars from the tracks, including a pair ofextendable lattice-works, means adapted to engage the ground forsupporting said lattice-works from the ground, at which time saidlattice-works form a bridge, said car being movable along said bridge toa position away from the tracks, and means for supporting the rear sideor" said car independently of said lattice-works and for jacking up saidend of the car to remove a part of the weight of said car from the trackend of said lattice-works whereby the same may be removed easily fromsaid tracks.

1G. An extendable bridge including two spaced pairs ci spaced pests, anda separate vertically rigid extendable connecting structure extendingbet leen each pair of posts and supported thereby, and a separate set ofrollers supported solely by each of said connecting structures andadapted to vlafrllitate the movement on said connecting structure of aconveyed structure from one end of said connecting structure to theother.

l1. The combination of a rail car and a bridge normally collapsed andcarried by said car but adapted to be extended transversely of the railsto carry said car, rear support means for holding the rear portion ofsaid bridge high enough to enable said car to clear the rails, andmeans, at least part of which is effective for supporting the frontextended portion ci? said bridge while the car moves thereto, effective,with the car thereon, independently oi said rear supportmeans, saidbridge then being collapsible away from the track, said combinationincluding means to support the car and bridge adequately while thebridge is collapsed.

lil. The combination of a car normally running on rals, a bri gecomprising a collapsible structure each end oi the car having apermanent reliable engagement therewith and having suiiicient verticalstrength when extended to support said car, adjustable inner supportmeans for supporting the portion of said bridge above said rails highenough to enable the car to clear the and adjustable outer supportmeans, at least part of which cooperates with the inner support means tosupport the extended port-ion ci the bridge to permit the car to berolled along the bridge away from said rails said outer support meanssupporting the car in said position independently of said inner supportmeans.

1 3. The combination of a car normally running rails, a bridgecomprising a collapsible structure at each end of the car having apermanent roilable engagement therewith and having suiilcient verticalstrength when extended to support said car, adjustable inner supportmeans supporting the portion of said bridge above said rails high enoughto enable the car to clear the rails, and adjustable outer supportmeans, at least part of which cooperates with the inner support means tosupport the extended portion ci the to permit the car to be rolled alongthe bidge away from said rails said outer support supporting the car insaid position inde endently of said inner support means, said 'thenbeine collapsible away from said s. The combination oi a car normallyrung on rails, a bridge comprising a collapsible ucture at each. end ofthe car having a per- Tient reliable engagement therewith and havsuoientvertical strength when extended to port said car, adjustable innersupport means to enable the car to clear the rails, and adjustoutersupport means, at least part of which n Urates with the inner sup-portmeans to suport the extended portion of the bridge to permit the car tobe rolled along the bridge away from said rails outer support meanssupporting the car in said position independently of said inso portmeans, said inner support means beadapted to rest on ties between therails. l5. The combination oi a car normally running .mi rails, a bridgecomprising aV collapsible t each end or" the car having a permanentro.,.ab1e engagement therewith and having sufficient vertical strengthwhen extended to support car, adjustable inner support means to enablethe to clear the rails, and adjustable cuter support means, at leastpart of which cowith the inner support means to suprart the extendedportion. or" the bridge to permit car to be rolled along the bridge awayyfrom ils outer support means supporting car said position independentlyvof said insupport means, said inner support means c adapted to rest onties between the rails g positioned closer to the outer rail wherebyextended 'bidge will act as a counterweight in to raise the far side ofthe c r oilc the rail.

. Set-ofi" for removing a car lat- -v from track comprising rails andties, ing; bridge comprising two spaced collapsistruc'rures each adaptedto be secured to the .er to be extendable laterally-of the to it the carto be shifted along d me lns adapted to rest between said i. to supportthe bridge, substantially inatlv or other support, at a heightsuitybling car to clear said rails, and me" s which at least part iseffective for supthc extended portion oi said bridge at a h ht to permitthe oar to be shifted thereto and therefrom easily, said means renderingthe supc+ en iid port of the car and bridge independent of the tieengaging means, the portion of said bridge adjacent said rails beingremovable from the path-of a train on said rails when the car is at itso-set position.

17. Set on apparatus for removing a car laterally :from a trackcomprising rails and ties, including; a bridge comprising two spacedcollapsible structures each adapted to be secured to the car in a mannerto be extendable laterally of the track and to permit the car to beshifted along said bridge, means adapted to rest between said rails andto support the bridge, substantially independently of other support, insuch manner that the car may be raised by manipulation of said bridge toclear said rails, and means of which at least part is eiective forsupporting the extended portion of said bridge at a height to permit thecar to be shifted thereto and therefrom easily, said means rendering thesupport of the car and bridge independent of the tie engaging means, theportion of said bridge adjacent said rails being removable from the patho a train on said rails when the car is at its off-set position.

18. A rail car including a set-ofi apparatus carried thereby and securedthereto and while secured thereto operative to assist in removing saidcar from the rails; said set-off apparatus including means adapted to belowered with respect to said car and adapted to rest on the roadway,extendable means adapted to be supported in part thereby and in part byat least part of additional support means laterally removed from theroadway orming a bridge along which said car can be shifted transverselyof said rails, said additional support means including means forengaging the ground to support the car and bridge from at least threewidely spaced points and being then effective to permit collapsing ofsaid extendable means away from said rails.

19. Means for removing rail cars from the tracks, including a pair ofextendable latticeworks each including two sets of parallel bars pivotedto one another at at least three points on each bar, means adapted torest on the ground for supporting both ends of each of said latticeworksfrom the ground, said lattice-works having points thereon which areraised as said latticeworks are extended, and means for connecting arail car to said lattice-works at said points for raising at least onepart of the rail car from the tracks as such lattice-Works are extended.

26. The combination of a car normally running on rails and a portableadjustable bridge carried by the car including means adapted to supportthe car movably on the bridge and ground-engaging means, said bridgebeing adapted to be manipulated by manual force applied directly theretoto raise the car and to cooperate with said means to form asubstantially horizontal bridge therefor at a height suflicient toenable the car to clear the rails, and adjustable means for supportingat least a portion of the bridge remote from the rails.

The combination of a car normally running on rails and a portableadjustabie bridge carried by the car and adapted to be manipulatedwit-heut being completely removed from the car tc a position extendinglaterally from the rails at a height suitable for enabling the car toclear the rails, said bridge including ground-engaging means forsupporting the bridge at said height and means for supporting the carmovably on the bridge.

22. In combination with a rail-car, support means adapted to rest on thetrackway, an extendable lattice-work device having means to support thecar and adapted to be extended and by extension to aid in the removal ofthe car from the rails by raising the car with respect to the supportmeans, and a lock bar adapted to engage one point of the lattice-workdevice when it is in its collapsed position and another point thereofwhen in its extended position to prevent its coliapse under the inuenceof the weight of the car.

23. In combination with a rail-car, an extendable lattice-work structureat each end thereof adapted to in the removal of the car from the rails,a rod extending between the lattice-work structures and secured theretoat an intermediate point in their length7 and a lock bar normallysubstantialiy spanning the length of one latticework structure andsecured at each end thereto to hold the lattice-work structure in itscollapsed pos' ion, releasicle from one end thereof and therebysupported by the rod and upon a desired amount ci expansion of saidlattice-work struce engaging said rod to lock the lattice-work Hotwirein open position.

ai. in combination with a rail-car, a bridge s uct-ure carried therebyand shiftable with res3 t thereto to a position adapted to convey the 1for one side of the car adapted to cooperate with the outer supportmeans of the bridge and supporting the car and the bridge independentlyci the inner suppe-rt means or the bridge when the car has been removedfrom the rails so as to permit collapsing of the bridge away from therails. Y

26. Means for removing rail-cars from the tracks including a collapsiblebridge structure on which the car may be rolled transversely of thetracks and havine support means at its track end and its outer end, andindependent support means for one side oi the car adapted to cooperatewith the outer support oi the bridge and supporting the car the bridgeindependently of the inner support means of the bridge when the car hasbeen removed from the rails so as to permit collapsing of the bridgeaway from the rails, the independent support means including a legadjustable to compensate for variations in contour of the ground and aquick acting jack associated with the leg for extending the leg afterits initial adjustment to remove the load from the track end of thebridge.

27. The combination of a rail car and set-off means secured said carcomprising groundengaging means, a structure movable with respect tosaid car for forming a bridge extending away from the rails and beingor" suilcient length to carry the car clear of the track; means forsupporting said structure en the car and at times supporting the carmovably on said structure, said struct-ure being so constructed andassociated with the car that when so moved it cooperates with theground-engaging means to automatically raise said car to a level atwhich it may pass along said bridge.

28. The combination of a car normally running on rails and a portableadjusting bridge carried by the car and adapted to be manipulated toextend outwardly from the car and when extended being vertically rigid,means substantially securing the extended bridge against pivoting withrespect to the car and adapted to support the car on the bridge, andmeans for supporting the inner end of the bridge from the trackway at aposition outwardly of and remote from the inner rail wherebymanipulation of the bridge can initially raise the outer portion of thecar and thereafter said car may be rocked about said support point toraise the inner portion of the car from the inner rail to permit the carto be moved along said bridge to a point remote from both rails.

29. The combination of a rail car and set-o means secured to said carcomprising groundengaging means, a structure movable with respect tosaid car for forming a bridge resting on the ground-engaging means,extending away from the rails, of sufficient length to carry the carclear of the track and operable in cooperation with the ground-engagingmeans to raise said car to a level at which it may pass along saidbridge, said set-ofi means when in its normal position forming a guardrail at each end of said rail car.

HUGH S. BROWN.

GERTLFICATE oF CORRECTION; l

Patent No. v2,158,552, n may 16, 1959.

'HUGH s. BRowm .It 1S herein]l certified that error appears in theprinted specification 'of thevabove numbered patent requiringoorrecti'on'as follows:r Page 5, second column, lines 8, 25, 59, and 5h,claims 12, 15, 1h., and 15 respectively', after the'word "rails" inserta semicolon; page 6, first column, line 60, claim 20,l strike-out` thewords "to raise the car and" and-insert the `same afterm`ean" in line 61same claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this(torrent-ion therein that the same may conform to the record of the oasein the Patent Office. signedand' sealed m1515151; day or August, Aj, D'.1959.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents'.

